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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

BALER, Aurora – Three rookie
soldiers were charged with serious physical injuries by the Philippine National
Police before the provincial prosecutor’s office Monday for the brutal mauling
of a 37-year-old carpenter during a brawl in a restaurant here at dawn Friday.

Charged
in an information filed by the Baler PNP led by its station commander, Chief
Inspector Reynante Pitpitan were privates first class Jesse Roque, 28, of
Tarlac City; Jaypee Gutierrez, 27, of Camp Tinio, Cabanatuan City and Efren
Montefalco Jr., 30, of New Abra, Matalam, North Cotabato.

They
were all assigned with the military intelligence branch (MIB) of the Army’s 7th
Infantry (Kaugnay) Division based at the FortMagsaysay Military Reservation in PalayanCity, Nueva Ecija.

The
case has been raffled off to prosecutor Julieta Isidro-Reyes.

The three
soldiers were charged for mauling carpenter Antonio Macarayo of Barangay
Suklayin following a confrontation inside the Freddie’s Resto Bar at Sitio
Labasin, Barangay Sabang at around 3 am Friday.

Named
by the PNP as witnesses in the complaint were Macarayo’s wife Chona, Mark
Gregory Babia, and PO2 Geoffrey Bolante and PO3 Guervin Atun, both of the Baler
PNP.

Police
Inspector Desiree Buluag, Baler deputy chief of police, in an incident report
released to newsmen, said that prior to the incident, Macarayo went to the bar
to drink liquor with four of his young companions identified as Rienheart Jeff
Virey, 21,; Marvin Virrey, 23; Arvin Santiago, 22; and Sherwin Pangalinan, 22.

Later,
Macarayo’s group figured in a heated argument with the soldiers, who were
apparently drunk, including Montefalco who was armed with a caliber 45
revolver.

The
two groups were somehow pacified by the bar’s security guard on duty and they
left shortly after.

Unknown
to Macarayo’s group, Montefalco’s group waited for them outside and when they
spotted them, they assaulted the five.

Macarayo and his
companions scampered in different directions but he slipped and fell on the
pavement where the suspects caught up with him and took turns mauling him,
knocking him unconscious.

Responding
lawmen arrested the three suspects and detained them at the municipal police stockade.

Macarayo
was rushed to the AuroraMemorialHospital
for treatment of bruises and contusions in the face. He was later transferred
to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Mrs.
Macarayo said her husband was almost left for dead by the suspects who even
pistol-whipped the victim in the head and face.

Babia,
another witness said that while the victim was being beaten to a pulp by the
suspects, he overheard one of them yelled “tuluyan mo na pare (kill him
buddy).”

Brig.
Gen. Glorioso Miranda, 7th ID commanding general, said they will
never tolerate such acts by the soldiers.

“We will have the incident
investigated and give the three soldiers due process. But we will never condone
their actions if they are found guilty,” he said, adding they could be dismissed
from the service depending on the gravity of the offense.